F1

The next World Champions

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #333647
    Ben Needham
    Participant

    With Nico Rosberg joining the list of WDC’s on the grid and Jenson Button leaving it, I started to think about the front-runners for the next new World Champion.

    Looking at the current grid, I think there are two names that lead the way and they both sit in Red Bull cars. With a regulation change next year, the Red Bull could well be back at the front, with two able, hungry drivers racing them. Of Ricciardo and Verstappen it’s tricky to pick which one would be most likely to triumph. Throughout 2016 they’ve seemed reasonably evenly matched and were this to continue we’d be in for a fierce fight. Of course, this could lead to us seeing a situation like 2007 in which a team with two fast drivers lose the WDC due to them taking points off each other. Ricciardo and Verstappen are now the only drivers on the grid to have won a Grand Prix but not a WDC.

    Behind them we have Stoffel Vandoorne in the McLaren, who faces three major challenges. Firstly, it’s his debut season in the sport. Secondly, the McLaren-Honda package is far from guaranteed to put him in a position to challenge. Thirdly, if it is, Fernando Alonso is sat in the other car.

    Other drivers to consider include Nico Hulkenberg, Valterri Bottas, Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez. All of these are reliant on the cars they drive, as I think the chance for a promotion to one of the top 3/4 teams is now unlikely, unless one of them can replace Raikkonen upon his retirement. Of the four, I’d argue that Hulkenberg’s Renault team poses the best chance to get to the front.

    Finally, we have the drivers waiting for a promotion to a big team, such as Esteban Ocon, Pascal Wehrlein and Carlos Sainz Jr. It’s hard to see how Sainz will fit in at Red Bull any time soon, unless one of Ricciardo or Verstappen jumps ship to Ferrari or Mercedes. Ocon and Wehrlein will be looking to fill any Mercedes vacancies, with Ocon looking like the favoured driver at the moment… how long they’ll have to wait is another matter.

    To conclude, it’s all a little up in the air and depends much on who interprets next years rulebook best. It’s hard to look past the Red Bull pairing at the moment though, but the field is full of potential and good talent.

    #333669
    PorscheF1
    Participant

    We have had ONLY 7 champions in the past 16 years. The next one is very likely to be either Hamilton or Rosberg again. if another team manages to take the fight to them we have either Ferrari driver who have already been champion which leaves us with two men in a Red Bull.

    Or McLaren springs a surprise and then it’s very likely Alonso and not Vandoorne. So my bet is on Verstappen in 2019 earliest.

    #333725
    PorscheF1
    Participant

    Depending on who gets the vacant seat at Mercedes he has a chance at the title but unless it’s either Alonso or Vettel they won’t beat Hamilton. Will be nice to see another new GP winner though.

    #334074
    Ben Krigers
    Participant

    Thing is you never really know how quick someone is going to be until they actually drive it.

    Bottas I suppose is seen as a steady consistent driver so everyone presumes he won’t match up to Hamilton.

    However to be fair he’s been turning in these consistent performances in a Williams that’s been going backwards over the last three years, so the performances (including blowing away the experienced Massa) may be better than they seem.

    So Bottas may get beaten week in week out by Hamilton in 2017. Or there’s just a chance he may put up more than a fight than we expect and have a shot at becoming a new Champion.

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.